- The City of Edmonton has activated its extreme weather response as temperatures are forecast to drop to -20°C or lower with wind chill for at least three consecutive days. The activation began on Feb. 16 at 9am and will be reassessed by Feb. 27. City facilities like recreation centres and libraries are open for warming during regular hours, while additional overnight shelter shuttles are running along north and south routes. Al Rashid Mosque will not provide additional shelter spaces during this period in observance of Ramadan.
- The City of Edmonton will institute fees for large patios on public land on April 1, after previously offering permits for such patios at no charge. "With reduced funding as a result of the 2024 Fall Supplemental Operating Budget Adjustment, the city is shifting to a shared-investment model," a city spokesperson told CBC. Large year-round patios that spill onto sidewalks will cost $6,900 per year, while seasonal ones will cost $3,700. Small sidewalk patios remain free to operate.
- A wetlands dispute over a property near the planned River's Edge neighbourhood in southwest Edmonton has left landowner Gaurav Mann with 30% of his property designated as protected wetlands. A remote survey by Stantec found 2.58 hectares of wetlands on the property, but when Mann commissioned an in-person survey by wetland ecologist Andrew Forrest, it found that only 0.04 hectares met provincial wetland criteria. Edmonton city council approved the River's Edge neighbourhood structure plan despite the dispute, after a motion to delay for updated projections was defeated 7-6.
- The Edmonton International Airport has unveiled an Indigenous-designed "YEG" installation to welcome delegates of the 2026 International Indigenous Tourism Conference, which will be held in Edmonton from Feb. 17 to 19. The installation, designed by artist Lance Cardinal from the Bigstone Cree Nation, is called "Wâhkôhtowin," which means "kinship" and denotes the interconnected nature of relationships, communities, and natural systems. "This piece is about welcome, connection, and identity," said Cardinal. "It's an invitation for visitors to understand where they are, whose land they are on, and the stories that continue here."
- The Stollery Children's Hospital Foundation raised a record $682,000 at the 16th annual Stollery Family Day Classic hockey tournament, which featured 108 teams at the Booster Juice Recreation Centre in Terwillegar. The funds will support the foundation's Giving Comfort program, which helps families making unexpected trips to the hospital. The tournament has now raised more than $5.3 million since its inception.
- The World's Longest Hockey Game concluded on Feb. 16 after raising more than $1 million for cancer research and treatment. This year's funds will support the installation of life-saving CAR T-cell immunotherapy equipment at the Alberta Cross Cancer Institute. The 40 participating players aimed to break the previous record of 264 hours, set by the same fundraiser in 2024, when it raised $1.4 million. The World's Longest Hockey Game began in 2003 and has raised more than $9 million over the years.
- BGCBigs has launched "BIG Summer," a new pilot mentoring program running from May to Aug. The program offers volunteer mentors an opportunity to try mentoring through one-on-one participation in low- or no-cost activities with mentees during the spring and summer months. Applications for volunteers are open until March 2.
- The Royal Alberta Museum recently hosted a tribute to Caribbean workers who helped build Alberta's oil industry, featuring live music, dance, and storytelling. Companies recruited skilled workers from Trinidad, Jamaica, and Barbados from the 1960s through the 1990s to meet labour demands in Fort McMurray. Many workers faced discrimination and isolation, but they built communities and established families, which continue to thrive in Alberta today.
